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Musings on the Book of John

Housecleaning - John 2:12-22 (NIV)

BY CONNIE HECKER

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After this he went down to Capernaum with his mother and brothers and his disciples. There they stayed for a few days. When it was almost time for the Jewish Passover, Jesus went up to Jerusalem. In the temple courts he found people selling cattle, sheep and doves, and others sitting at tables exchanging money. So he made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple courts, both sheep and cattle; he scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. To those who sold doves he said, 'Get these out of here! Stop turning my Father’s house into a market!' His disciples remembered that it is written: 'Zeal for your house will consume me.' The Jews then responded to him, 'What sign can you show us to prove your authority to do all this?' Jesus answered them, 'Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days.' They replied, 'It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and you are going to raise it in three days?' But the temple he had spoken of was his body. After he was raised from the dead, his disciples recalled what he had said. Then they believed the scripture and the words that Jesus had spoken.

There is something similar to the way John unfolds the experience of following Jesus to the way we experience Jesus as new believers. Filled with excitement and anticipation of what will happen next, they must wonder, How will Jesus reveal Himself next? Or think - as we should, What is different about my life now that it is Jesus I follow? In this passage, John and the others, including Jesus' mom, are reminded of prophecy as they see it unfold before their eyes. And, just as in the life of a new believer, they had great excitement as each unique situation occurred, knowing that anything could happen.

At the temple, Jesus cleared out the corruption that had overtaken His home, His dwelling place - not that the world recognized it as such. When faced with this evil, it was not enough for Jesus just to say, "Go away." Instead, He took time to craft the whip He was to use to scatter the corrupt ones. How did He face this evil? He did not take from them their belongings, but he forcefully drove them away from where they did not belong. He poured the money out - rejecting it, not taking it. He turned the tables. We see controlled force in His response. We see Jesus also using words of explanation to some. Which ones? To those who sold the doves. The smallest offering possible, the least expensive. The local dollar store owners. To them, He gives instructions to remove their things, the merchandise, and then He explains why. He does not destroy anyone's livelihood in the process. Sheep and cattle will not run free, but will be contained elsewhere. The cages of the doves are not destroyed, but the owners are told to relocate them. The business was in the wrong place and dishonored God.

All this response spoke a revealing truth to His followers: this temple was Jesus' true home. It was out of step and in need of forceful correction. Not destruction. Correction.

• What, in my life, has gotten out of step with the truth?

• Where do I need to clean my temple, my body, of those things that do not belong?

• What has taken up residence in my heart that is distracting me from true worship?

God, I ask you to forcefully cast out the big things and gently remove the tender things that are dishonoring you and harming our relationship. Let my heart be swept clean of corruption that I may worship you in Spirit and in truth!

Connie Hecker, MFA, is a Scenic Designer currently teaching at Liberty University. She is mom, stepmom, and grandmother to 13. Her “first career” was in interior and industrial design. Her “second” was as Manager of Operations and Maneuvers (note initials) in her extended family. Her ‘third’ is as a professor, and she looks forward to what God has in store as her “fourth” someday.

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